28 February 2013

In Speech to Cardinals, Pope Benedict Promises Obedience to His Successor

From STLToday:VATICAN CITY • Pope Benedict XVI promised his
"unconditional reverence and obedience" to his successor in his final
words to cardinals Thursday, a poignant and powerful farewell delivered
hours before he becomes the first pope in 600 years to resign.

In
an unexpected speech inside the Vatican's frescoed Clementine Hall, the
pontiff appeared to be trying to defuse concerns about possible
conflicts arising from the peculiar situation of having both a reigning
pope and a retired one.He also gave a final set of instructions
to the "princes" of the church who will elect his successor, urging them
to be united as they huddle to choose the 266th leader of the world's
1.2 billion Catholics.

"May the College of Cardinals work like an
orchestra, where diversity — an expression of the universal church —
always works toward a higher and harmonious agreement," he said.

It
was seen as a clear reference to the deep internal divisions that have
come to the fore in recent months following the leaks of sensitive
Vatican documents that exposed power struggles and allegations of
corruption inside the Vatican.

The moment was as unique as
Benedict's decision to quit, with the 85-year-old pope, wearing his
crimson velvet cape and using a cane, bidding farewell to his closest
advisers and the cardinals themselves bowing to kiss his fisherman's
ring for the last time.

Some seemed to choke up at that moment,
but the scene seemed otherwise almost normal, with cardinals chatting on
the sidelines waiting their turn to say goodbye.

Benedict said he
would pray for the cardinals in coming days as they discuss the issues
facing the church, the qualities needed in a new pope and prepare to
enter into the secret conclave to elect him.

"Among you is also
the future pope, whom I today promise my unconditional reverence and
obedience," Benedict said in his final audience.

[...]Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, Benedict will leave the
palace for the last time as pontiff, head to the helipad at the top of
the hill in the Vatican gardens and fly to the papal retreat at Castel
Gandolfo south of Rome.

There, at 8 p.m. sharp, Benedict will
become the first pontiff in 600 years to resign. The doors of the
palazzo will shut and the Swiss Guards will go off duty, their service
protecting the head of the Catholic Church over — for now.

And on Monday, the cardinals are expected to begin meeting to set the date for the conclave.

A Day That Will Live in Glory

Pray for the Four Cardinals: Burke, Caffarra, Meiser and Brandmuller

“You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day."